“The CoMotion Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Program provided invaluable support as we transitioned from University to startup. They have amazing resources for new entrepreneurs.”

– Claire Watts, Co-founder & CEO of ThruWave

ThruWave was co-founded by Professor Matt Reynolds, Claire Watts, and Andreas Pedross-Engel as a spinout from the University of Washington’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. ThruWave is pioneering millimeter-wave (mmW) imaging technology that enables users to see through opaque surfaces—such as walls, cardboard, and smoke—for applications in construction, robotics, and security. Their proprietary imaging platform produces high-resolution 3D point-cloud datasets, offering a non-destructive, human-safe alternative to traditional inspection methods.

Claire Watts began working on the ThruWave’s core technology during her postdoctoral research at UW, where she specialized in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging and experimental mmW setups. “I’ve been working on novel imaging technologies since my Ph.D.,” Claire said. “The CoMotion Commercialization Fellowship gave us the opportunity to focus on translating our research into a viable product and business.” During the fellowship, Claire and the team built a compact mmW image sensor prototype and demonstrated it to potential customers and investors. These early demos, which included both real-time low-resolution imaging and high-resolution pre-recorded visuals, received enthusiastic feedback and helped validate the technology’s commercial potential.

With support from CoMotion, Matt, Claire, and Andreas secured a $50,000 Innovation Gap Fund award and began drafting an NSF SBIR proposal. Their work laid the foundation for ThruWave’s go-to-market strategy, targeting seeing inside sealed packages. Claire said, “The fellowship helped us bridge the gap between lab research and real-world impact. It was a transformative experience that accelerated our path to commercialization.”